How FWA has used the proceeds from BMO Capital Market’s Day of Trading
 FWA Scholarship Program Participants
 Background
 FWA Educational Programs

How FWA has used the proceeds from BMO Capital Market’s Day of Trading

The support from Equity Through Education has been used to endow the FWA - BMO Capital Markets Scholarship Program for undergraduate women with financial need and academic promise at Baruch College. These scholarships were designed to enhance the FWA’s mentoring program, which it began in 2002, at Baruch’s highly regarded Zicklin School of Business. In 2006, the FWA first offered these undergraduate scholarships at Baruch College, which is consistently ranked the nation’s most diverse college by U.S. World and News Report.

Thanks to BMO Capital Markets three prior years of support through its one day of institutional equity trading commissions, totaling $625,000, the endowment income is now sufficient for as many as six full tuition scholarships to be offered to participants in the FWA mentoring program. The mentoring program currently serves 35 young women and their mentors, volunteers from among the FWA’s membership of financial professionals. The focus is on personal and career development through one-on-one relationships, networking with other mentors and FWA members at FWA programs, and several topical luncheon workshops on campus led by FWA members. As of May 2008 when 14 mentees graduated, seven (7) had accepted full time positions with FWA corporate sponsors.

Adding this new financial component to other forms of support has been particularly critical for the diverse population of Baruch women, many of whom are recent immigrants or whose parents are first generation Americans. Baruch graduates the largest number of African American and the fifth largest number of Hispanic American students in New York City from its undergraduate programs.

FWA Scholarship Program Participants

Scholarship awards are made by Baruch College to students who are completing the business core curriculum with the intention of concentrating on financially-oriented disciplines. These students, through either coursework and/or participation in clubs or other activities, demonstrate an interest in advancing women's roles in the financial services industry. Below are brief biographies of the six FWA – BMO Capital Markets Scholarship recipients this past school year.

Daliya Yassien
Daliya recently graduated from Baruch as a Finance and Investments major. While going to school full-time, she worked as the Work Abroad Coordinator at the Weissman Center for International Business at Baruch. She successfully placed students in traineeships all over the world. She is fluent in French and can also converse in Spanish and Arabic.

Diane Peters
Diane is a Baruch Honors student with a major in Finance and Investments. She was the featured student speaker at the 18th Annual Bernard Baruch Dinner last year. Diane has been active in speech and debate and has also extensively volunteered her time.

Laura del Rio
Laura is majoring in Finance at Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business. She is fluent in French and Spanish and has utilized her language skills in different professional positions.

Aleksandra Baszynska
Aleksandra is enrolled in CUNY’s honors program. She has volunteered with Baruch Volunteering Income Tax Assistance, which is a program that prepares income tax statements for low-income families. Aleksandra has also represented and promoted Baruch Honors College as an ambassador.

Anastasia Sagalovitch
Anastasia is pursuing a Bachelor in Business Administration with Honors with a major in computer information systems. She has done numerous internships in New York City: Health Science Academy of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, UBS Private Wealth Management, Congressman Ed Towns of Brooklyn, and the American Museum of Natural History.

Tracy Ying Li
Tracy will be graduating in May 2009 with a Bachelor in Business Administration from Baruch. She is a full-time student while also working 32 hours a week. Tracy is on the Baruch Dean’s List.

Background

Founded in 1956, the Financial Women's Association (FWA) is a leading executive organization of 1,000 members committed to shaping leaders in business and finance with a special emphasis on the role and development of women. The FWA serves its members through educational programs and networking opportunities, and serves the community through its nationally acclaimed scholarship, mentoring and training programs.

FWA Educational Programs

Through the FWA of New York Educational Fund, FWA members engage in outreach programs that support the organization's Next Generation programs which encourage young women to seek career opportunities in business and finance and other programs that help people in the community and beyond.

The FWA has partnered with Murry Bergtraum High School, a NYC public high school for 20 years, one of the longest continuous partnerships in the city school system, to offer one-on-one mentoring to students and to help participating students reach for academic and personal success and to overcome any obstacles, financial and otherwise, that may cross their paths. Six years ago, this mentoring effort was extended to Baruch College at City University of New York.

Among its numerous education programs, the FWA sponsors the Leah Pfeffer-Lidsky Scholarship Program, which assists participants in the Murry Bergtraum High School Mentoring Program, who are pursuing their undergraduate education. Named in honor of the late founder of the program, these scholarships have totaled $473,000 and have been given to 129 students since 1987.

The FWA of New York Educational Fund also supports the FWA's professional development and educational programs for the business community. Founded as an unincorporated association in 1976, The FWA of New York Educational Fund was granted tax-exempt status as a 501c 3 charitable organization and incorporated in 1982.